Arguably tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, due to his support of Islamist proxies

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a Turkish politician, a former mayor of Istanbul, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and president since 2014. He is currently the leader of the People's Alliance (Cumhur İttifakı), an electoral alliance of Sunni Islamist and Turanid nationalist political parties that currently hold a supermajority of the seats in the Turkish Parliament. Although this alliance is not expected to exist past the 2018 Turkish Presidential election, it is likely that Erdoğan's own Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi; AKP) will adopt at least part of the platforms of its more radical partners as Turkey continues to transform into a dictatorship under Erdoğan's leadership.

Erdoğan won re-election in June 2018, giving him control over a presidency with expanded powers.[1] He officially received the expanded powers on July 8, 2018.[2]

Contents

Positions

Erdoğan has proven time and time again to be highly supportive of Islamist causes. During the Syrian War, Erdoğan provided tactical and financial support for Sunni Islamic jihadist groups fighting against the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.[3][4][5][6] In addition, he has sought to use those proxies to establish a sphere of influence in the northern part of the country, a move that is consistent with imperialist foreign policy.[7]

During a visit in the Gaza Strip, Erdoğan said he "hopes that his visit can contribute to the process [of establishing a Palestinian state]."[8] During the Syrian Civil War he supported the Muslim Brotherhood.[9] In 2013 Erdoğan beat the secular protests against the government violently down[10] and started to censor the media.[11]

Erdoğan received attention after he explained that America was not discovered by Christopher Columbus, but by a Muslim.[13]

Erdoğan leans pro-life on the issue of abortion, wanting to curb the practice.[14]

Criticisms

Erdoğan has been criticized for his opposition to Israel. Even John Kerry, who took a relatively anti-Israel stance under the Obama Administration, criticized Erdoğan for his equal enforcement of Zionism with Fascism.[15] He was also criticized by the conservative governor Rick Perry for his aggression against the Jewish state of Israel.[16] Erdoğan said that Hamas is a "resistance group".[17] After Omar Hassan al-Bashir caused a genocide against Christians, Erdoğan defended Bashir and answered: 'Muslims Don't Cause Genocide'.[18] In May 2017, Israel criticized Erdoğan for urging Muslims to overrun the Temple Mount in order to protect against "Judaization," among other anti-Israel comments.[19]

Disruptions towards other nations

In March 2017 Erdoğan accused Germany and the Netherlands as a legacy of Nazism and fascism in due to his dicision to ban some officials from the Turkish government, who come to speak about the referendum on the power of president Erdoğan.[20][21] Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called Mr Erdogan's remarks inflammatory, and stated that: “What they are saying is not helping”, also the German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that the Nazi comparisons must stop.[22]

Ties with ISIS and other Syrian Islamist rebels

Erdogan has been accused of having once helped the terrorist group ISIS,[23] involving oil trade[24], giving free passage to fighters[25] and allowing arms shipments to ISIS.[26] And it was reported in 2015 that Turkey’s state intelligence agency helped deliver arms to parts of Syria under Islamist rebel control during late 2013 and early 2014.[27]